Safety appliance for airplanes



Jan. 13, 1931. E; M. BLACKSHER 1,739,033

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR AIRPLANES Filed Feb. 18, 1950 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Jan. 13, 1931. E. M. BLACKSHER 1,739,033

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR AIRPLANES Filed Feb. 18. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwventoz E/V QZacZUZer' Patented S MANFORID BLAGKBEER, OI BEWIOIy ALABAMA.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR AIRPLANE Appiication am February 18, 1930. ierhl In. 09,82.

The invention relates to safety appliances for airplanes, and has for its object to provide a device of this character comprising a rotatable propeller located forwardly of 6 the center gravity of the airplane adjacent its pulling propeller and engine, and forming means whereby the operator may, by manipulating the ropeller, lift the forward end of the mac ine when landing or taking ofl, or prevent the machine from going into a nose dive when in flight.

A further object is to incline the axis of the lifting propeller downwardly and forwardly for increasing its efficiency, particularly when the plane ,is in a downward and forwardly inclined position.

A further object is to provide a streamline hood arching the forward side of the lifting propeller and leaving the rear side open whereby it will not interfere with the action of the ropeller on the air.

A further 0 ject is to provide a driving connection between the engine and the inner end of the lifting propeller shaft compris ing a flexible shaft having bevel gear connections with the propeller shaft and a driven gear disposed adjacent a drive gear slidably mounted on the engine shaft and adapt- 7 ed to cooperate with the driven gear. Also to provide a foot pedal controlling the drive gear on the engine shaft, by :means of which the operator may, at will, control the rota tion of the lifting propeller.

A further object-is to dispose the propeller forwardl of the center of gravit whereby its ifting force will be adjacent the weighted forward end of the machine for obtaining maximum lifting efiiciency.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing" from the spirit of the invention. In the drawings: l Figure 1 is aside elevation of the air- P n I 5' taking oif or landing, or when the machine Figure 2 is I bottom plan view of the forward end of flie airplane.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectionalview taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 il a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the forward end of the airplane.

Figure 5 is a view in elevation ofthe slidable gear on the engine shaft.

Referring to the drawin s, the numeral 1 designates the fuselage o a conventional form ofairplane, 2 the. wings and 3 the landing wheels. The airplane is of the puller type wherein the engine 4 is disposed adjacent the forward end of the fuselage and drives a puller propeller 5, all of which structure places the center of gravity of the machine towards the forward end thereof.

In airplanes attempts have. been made to a provide auxiliary liftmg propellers beneath the fuselage for assisting in controlling the machine particularly when taking off, however it has been found that these propellers are lopat ed; too far to the rear of the center of gravit of the'machine to obtain the desired result, especially. if the machine has forward momentum. To overcome this-objection the lifting propeller 6 is disposed beneath the fuselage 1 forwardly of the center of gravity, and forwardly of t e wings 2 where its effect willgbe immed'ately applied to the forward end of the ma hine for raising the nose thereof, for instance when starts into .a nose spin. It will be noted that the lifting propeller 6 has its, axis downwardly and forwardly inclined, therefore it will, be seen that. even though the airplane is in a descending inclined position said propeller will still be'positioned for raising the nose of the machi'e, using the action of the air on the upper plane 2 for the pivotal point of movement under the influence of the propeller 6. This relation -is clearly shown by the line w-a, Figure 1.

The under side of the fuselage 1 is provided with aqdownwardly and rearwardly inclined arc uate streamline shield 7, WhlOh arches the forward of the propeller 6' so that said pro eller, when in eration may act on the a1r axially, and at t e same time the shield 7 streamlines the device when not in use. It will be noted that the 7 rear side of the streamline shield 7 is open,

dates itself to-the angular variations of its ends during the driving operation. One end of the flexible shaft is provided with abevelled gear 14, which meshes with the bevel gear 9, and the other end of the shaft,

which is horizontal, is provided with a driven gear 15, with which the drive gear 16 is adapted tomesh upon axial movement of the drive gear 16 towards the en 'ne 4.

' Drive gear 16 is slidablyke'yed on t e enpropeller 6 1s inoperative.

gine drive shaft 17 and is controlled by the yoke 18 carried by the rearwardly extending control rod 19. Control rod 19 is slidably mounted in a bearing 20 of the bracket 10 and is normally held in rearward position by the coiled spring 21, interposed between washer 22 and the bracket 10, therefore it will be seen that under normal conditions the 'drivegear 16 is out of mesh with the driven gear 15, consequently the lifting Pivotally connected at 22 to the rear end of push rod 19 is a connecting rod 23 which is in turn pivotally connected at 24 to a foot lever 25, which is located within easy reach of the operators foot, and where the operator can quickly place his. foot'on the pedal if the machine goes into a tail spin, or when taking ofl, or landing, for operating the pro"- peller 6 for lifting the forward end of the machine. It will be noted that when the o erator moves his foot from the pedal'25 t at the e ansive action of the spring 21 will move rive gear 16 rearwardly to de- The invention having been set forth what is claimed new and, useful is:

1. The combination with an airplane having an engine and propeller at its forward end and forwardly of its wings, of a lifting propeller carried by the underside of the airplane between the engine and wings and forwardly of the center of gravity .of the airplane, driving connection between the lifting propeller and the engine, a streamline shield carried by the underside of the airplane and arching the forward side of the lifting propeller, said shield terminating rearwardly of the transverse center of the propeller.

2. The combination with the forward end of an airplane having an' engine and propeller, of a lifting propeller beneath said forward end, a shaft carried by said propeller and extending into the airplane, a rearwardly extending flexible shaft within the airplane, said shaft havingits ends rotatably mounted in bearings at different angles, gear connections between one of said shaft ends and the propeller and gear connections between the other shaft end and the en inc.

-3. The combination with an airplane aving an engine and propeller at the forward end'of its fuselage, a lifting propeller beneath said fuselage, of a driving connection between said engine and propeller, said driving connection comprising a rearwardly extending drive. shaft carried b the engine, a rearwardly extending flexi le shaft beneath said drive shaft within the fuselage, a

said flexible shaft having its ends rotatably mounted in bearings at different angles, one of said ends being parallel to the drive shaft means whereby said last named end may be driven from the engine drive shaft, the

other, end of the flexible shaft being at a right angle to the axis of the lifting-propeller and gear connections between said last named flexible shaft end and the propeller. In testimony whereof he hereunto aflixes his si nature. ERA MUS MAN'FORD BLACKSHER.

of 1propeller 6.

roni the above it will be seen that a lifting propelleris provided for the forward under side of an airplane adjacent the engine and propeller and forwardly of the cen-" ter' of gravity of the machine, and by means of; which propeller the operator may easily and quickly control and force the upward *i-movement ofi'the forward end of the mahine while landing, taking 01f or when in the machine starts. into .a nose spin.

r in jcase..of -emergency, for instance a 

